I know the cottage in the corner is a key part of our history and a defining feature of our identity. The eccentric in me hopes it stays forever regardless of stadium upgrades. Think it'd be fun/quirky and a great way to honour the club's history.
That said how attached are you to the name craven cottage for are ground? Having seen an increase in clubs selling the naming rights to grounds with increasing frequency as a way to raise extra capital and stay within FFP does the name matter to you that much and if so why? Ultimately aside from nostalgic reasons of aressociation it shouldn't matter much.
I like the fact we have the johnny Haynes stand, would appreciate an al fayed one too but having been a riverside stand season ticket holder for 15 years, apart from it having an association to the fact it's on the river which I like I can't say I'd be too fussed to see it renamed if the club benefitted every ten years or so.. would you?
092.gif Us old supporters are totally attached to Craven Cottage as a name for the ground, I am sure, and would hate it to ever be changed. :group hug:
You make an interesting point.
I wonder if anyone in the future will try and 'sell' the naming rights of a ground to themselves and just call it the same thing, is that possible under FFP?
A couple of clubs have already sold their ground to their own chairman. Sheffield Wednesday are in trouble over it, but I believe they're only in trouble due to how they've listed the sale under a previous years accounts (I think?).
Quote from: OldBrownShoe on January 16, 2020, 01:42:00 PM
092.gif Us old supporters are totally attached to Craven Cottage as a name for the ground, I am sure, and would hate it to ever be changed. :group hug:
As a relatively younger supporter (still in my 20's...just) I would hate for CC to be renamed.
Didn't the Newcastle owner try and change the name..... don't think the supporters ever called it anything other than St James' Park..... didn't the Cardiff owner try & get the Bluebirds to play in Red.... ultimately the fans either go with it or don't...... for me it'll always be the cottage
Cravendale Milk® Cottage
First of all I am not a life long Fulham fan - my former love was Mansfield Town F C ( where I was born ). Our son was born in Putney and we became Fulham fans about 12 years ago. Personally I would hate the name of the ground to be changed - it means a lot to me so God knows what it must mean to lifelong supporters. It is an iconic name for an iconic ground . I do not underestimate the power of money in the game - but surely some heritage ( and club brand value ) should not fall foul to the accountants and bean counters of this world . By all means sell the rights to the new stand as there is little heritage in that - but the ground - never .
I practically slit my wrists when Field Mill became the ' One Call stadium' that was a step too far
I'm a believer that in the short term at least, naming rights matter little, as most supporters will still refer to the stadium by it's traditional name and the new name is just what it appears as on paper. It's an erosion of tradition though which irks.
For instance, I still call Newcastle's ground St James' - not sure what the 'proper' with naming rights name is.
Quote from: H4usuallysitting on January 16, 2020, 02:17:23 PM
Didn't the Newcastle owner try and change the name..... don't think the supporters ever called it anything other than St James' Park..... didn't the Cardiff owner try & get the Bluebirds to play in Red.... ultimately the fans either go with it or don't...... for me it'll always be the cottage
Spot On. One Toonie even went as far as spray painting the original name over the new one I believe, and paid the price!
Craven Cottage is the home of Fulham FC, has been for all the lives of those on here (and likely the vast majority of their parents as well), it is as much part of our identity as "Fulham FC" is imho.
I'm confident we have an owner rich enough to not fall into the same trap as others (Ashley comes to mind), and hopefully will then resist as long as possible, or at least until he sells up.
Cheltenham Town's 'stadium' (if you can call it that) was always plain old Whaddon Road. Now it's 'The Jonny-Rocks Stadium' named after a cab firm. Jeeze.
Quote from: Dr Quinzel on January 16, 2020, 02:57:28 PM
I'm a believer that in the short term at least, naming rights matter little, as most supporters will still refer to the stadium by it's traditional name and the new name is just what it appears as on paper. It's an erosion of tradition though which irks.
For instance, I still call Newcastle's ground St James' - not sure what the 'proper' with naming rights name is.
I believe Wonga changed it back to the original name following Ashleys sell-out by naming it Sports Direct Arena.
The first club I can recall doing this was Scarborough. The Athletic Ground, Seamer Road was re-named after a popular brand of oven chips.
Everton have just done it hence the theoretical question.
Out of interest does anyone know the relevance and meaning behind the Craven part of "Craven" cottage
Almost like the old adage, "no one is bigger than the club".
Chairman come and go but the club remains. Why should we let one chairman dictate the name of our ground ie the very foundations of a club?
Hopefully we'll all be calling it Hector's House soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_tVxvnEJko
If you can change the name of the ground so easily then why not change the name of the team to. Flex and gate fc for a couple of years so shad can pump some more funds in.
Rename the Putney , New Riverside and Hammy ends for some dosh if needs be but the Johnny Haynes has be so named and ground has to remain Craven cottage.
I love the name,its even on my Garden Shed.. 049:gif
Quote from: General on January 16, 2020, 03:17:32 PM
Everton have just done it hence the theoretical question.
Out of interest does anyone know the relevance and meaning behind the Craven part of "Craven" cottage
Apparently, the original Cottage which was built in the 18th century, was built by Baron William Craven.
OK, change the names of the stands, an MAF stand is justified, but Craven Cottage is sacrosanct and anyone even thinking of a changing that name risks the wrath of thousands.
Quote from: Penfold on January 16, 2020, 03:55:15 PM
Quote from: General on January 16, 2020, 03:17:32 PM
Everton have just done it hence the theoretical question.
Out of interest does anyone know the relevance and meaning behind the Craven part of "Craven" cottage
Apparently, the original Cottage which was built in the 18th century, was built by Baron William Craven.
Even if some of this proves not to be true, I do like the 'facts' listed on Wikipedia:
The original 'Cottage' was built in 1780, by William Craven, the sixth Baron Craven and
was located on the centre circle of the pitch. At the time, the surrounding areas were woods which made up part of Anne Boleyn's hunting grounds.
The Cottage was lived in by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (who wrote The Last Days of Pompeii and other somewhat notable (and moneyed) persons until it was destroyed by fire in May 1888. Many rumours persist among Fulham fans of past tenants of Craven Cottage. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jeremy Bentham, Florence Nightingale and even Queen Victoria are reputed to have stayed there, although there is no real evidence for this. Following the fire, the site was abandoned.
Fulham had had 8 previous grounds before settling in at Craven Cottage for good. Therefore, The Cottagers have had 12 grounds overall (including a temporary stay at Loftus Road, meaning that only their former 'landlords' and rivals QPR have had more home grounds in British football. Of particular note, was Ranelagh House, Fulham's palatial home from 1886–1888.
Craven Cottage, always was and always will be.
It would be a hanging offence to change the name, it's a part of the culture and tradition that too many individuals tend to brush aside in the name of greed .
I don't think it matters much if the stadium attracts transient sponsored naming rights it'll always be Craven Cottage to those that matter.
Personally I call the stand where I sit the Stevenage Road Stand and probably always will.
Times change.
What we now know as Stevenage Road was previously called Crabtree Alley. The general area around Craven Cottage is rich in history as Southcoastffc mentions above. There is much dispute surrounding the history of the area and where certain names came from. There has been a place called Fulham for quite some time (Ham means settlement or home, and is probably pre-Roman) since the Thames offered a crossing point roughly where Putney Bridge is now when the climate was quite different to and perhaps considerably warmer and drier than it is now. We really do not have the accurate evidence needed to know what the area was really like but the Romans do appear to have built an elaborate villa or even palace in the area we now know as Bishops Park. There are many reasons why serious archaeological excavations are not carried out.
I love the name Craven Cottage although the building itself is pretty ordinary, and I really don't like this era where everything seems to have a price. But that is just me.
For me, Craven Cottage is Fulham, and Fulham is Craven Cottage. If they change the name for sponsorship reasons, I know that every fan will still refer to it as Craven Cottage. And if, God forbid, we were ever to move ground in the future, then for me it would be like the heart and soul will have been ripped out of the club.
I'm not so sure that the companies that pay to have their name on a ground get a worthwhile return. Seeing as how we are on the Heathrow flight path making more use of the roofs for advertising would seem to make more sense. We've done that before. Also players making sure the shirt sponsors get good coverage during interviews etc. I'm quite impressed with the way Grand Prix drivers make sure they swap their crash helmets for baseball caps as soon as they leave their cars.
Sponsorship is here to stay and an important part of a clubs income and let's not forget that in our own way we are the oldest form of sponsorship in football. Whilst renaming may bring in a lucrative one off payment from one party it's a big kick in the teeth to thousands of other smaller parties.
Quote from: OldBrownShoe on January 16, 2020, 01:42:00 PM
092.gif Us old supporters are totally attached to Craven Cottage as a name for the ground, I am sure, and would hate it to ever be changed. :group hug:
+1. I had the good fortune to sit up there once. A 3-2 home win v Everton. I sat next to John Dempsey's mum. I wonder if she told anyone she sat next to me....
As with OBS I would not be happy with a name change. 049:gif
092.gif
Quote from: bog on January 17, 2020, 11:25:55 AM
Quote from: OldBrownShoe on January 16, 2020, 01:42:00 PM
092.gif Us old supporters are totally attached to Craven Cottage as a name for the ground, I am sure, and would hate it to ever be changed. :group hug:
+1. I had the good fortune to sit up there once. A 3-2 home win v Everton. I sat next to John Dempsey's mum. I wonder if she told anyone she sat next to me....
As with OBS I would not be happy with a name change. 049:gif
092.gif
I know it's not football related but it is theme related - and with no intention to be disrespectful, but to just bring the point into the topic - a lot of Asian countries - in particular namely India for example are changing the names of places to their original names, or to more indian names. Bombay - Mumbai; Calcutta - Kolkata - when there obviously the older generations just called them the places they grew up with, whilst the younger generations split it between what it's affectionately known as - bombay, whilst wanting to be pragmatically correct by calling it Mumbai.
I imagine if Craven Cottage had the naming rights sold, most people with an affinity post a couple of years would just refer to it as craven cottage anyway and the name change wouldn't matter as much, but just if it became a long term change, eclipsing new generations of fans.
Perhaps if they were to be sold, they'd be sold for a ten year period, and then the five year period after each naming rights sale it'd revert back to Craven Cottage to give the commercial meaning just that and not something more.
The trouble with naming rights (aside from the loss of an historic name like CC) is that the stadium name changes every year with the sponsor. Bolton's stadium is now The University of Bolton stadium (I know, who knew Bolton had a Uni!) and prior to that it was the Macron Stadium yet 2014 it was the Reebok stadium! For that reason alone, I would be against it.
Quote from: Wolf on January 17, 2020, 09:20:49 AM
I don't think it matters much if the stadium attracts transient sponsored naming rights it'll always be Craven Cottage to those that matter.
Personally I call the stand where I sit the Stevenage Road Stand and probably always will.
so do I
Quote from: SuffolkWhite on January 16, 2020, 03:52:24 PM
Rename the Putney , New Riverside and Hammy ends for some dosh if needs be but the Johnny Haynes has be so named and ground has to remain Craven cottage.
+ 1
I think Tony Khan's Kabin would be a suitable name change for the Cottage, or Khan's Corner :)
